Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4028 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MARCH 2017 H ere’s the thing – cops just don’t look like they used to. In some agencies in cer- tain parts of the country it would be very difficult to spot an on-duty police offi- cer because they’re wearing sneakers, khakis and a polo shirt. A lot of the changes in of- ficer appearance have to do with police association law- suit victories that permitted cops to wear visible tattoos as part of their employment contracts. But while many officers are allowed to display visible tattoos on duty, state troop- ers in Pennsylvania are not. Here’s an email that ar- rived in the inboxes of top commanders at the Penn- sylvania State Police last summer: “Due to recent reports of members acquiring tattoos without authorization,” the July 8 message directed, “a staff inspection is ordered.” That email was from Lt. Col. Lisa Christie, top dep- uty to Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker. Christie wanted every trooper examined for any body tattoos visible when officers wear the agency’s short-sleeved summer uni- form. Col. Christie’s email even told commanders to in- clude pictures and “detailed spreadsheets” when inform- ing commanders of the re- sults of the screening. Now the tattoos are a major bone of contention between the agency and the union representing troop- ers. State police officials are pushing to make the troop- ers to have any such tattoos removed. That’s a long and costly process. While cops may look less paramilitary than they did back in the days before ear- rings, tattoos, beards and ball caps, state police gener- ally have a more traditional look. “The trend right now very clearly is to relax tattoo regu- lations,” said Will Aitchison, a Portland, Oregon-based expert on public safety and labor employment law is- sues. “There is an obvious reason for it — we can’t recruit enough people to be police in this country.” But Pennsylvania State Po- lice spokesman Ryan Tar- kowski says that the policy has been and is now crystal clear. “The tattoo cannot be vis- ible in the summer uniform shirt, which is a basic, short- sleeved shirt,” Mr. Tarkows- ki said. “If a tattoo extends beyond that, a cadet would have to have it removed at their expense.” Mr. Tarkowski could not say what punishment active troopers face if they are caught violating the tattoo ban. Many troopers say the tattoo crackdown is a joke and that the command staff is waging a “war on cop tat- toos.” Said one state police mem- ber, who asked not to be identified, “Troopers real- ized the command staff was more interested in seeing if they could jam them up than in keeping them safe.” Extremely lonely people in strange hats will secure the homeland from whatever There’s never a guardian angel around when you need one. We’re not talking actual angels here but rather the dudes in the red hats that pop up every 20 years or so. In New York City they’re the “Guardian Angels.” In Boston they’re “Arch Angels.” And despite all the talk about “more eyes and ears,” the cops that police the MBTA (Boston’s public transit system) have a very simple message for the vol- unteers. “You’re not cops.” “We want to be perfectly clear, we do not want any single individual or orga- nized group such as this tak- ing enforcement action on the MBTA,” said Richard Sullivan, superintendent of the MBTA’s police depart- ment. The new Boston angel outfit is a spin-off of the troubled Guardian Angels group in New York City. But Angels President Har- ry Green says he’s a deter- rent. “Basically it’s a similar organization. We’re out there to prevent crime,” said Green. In Boston, as is the case in New York, the “angels” are frequently the source of complaints to police. Sullivan told reporters that police received complaints from transit riders who wit- nessed the Angels pile onto a Red Line car on January 13 as part of their patrol. “When I spoke to people regarding this they were concerned. They were off- put, they were uncomfort- able, and one of the women I spoke to said she heard the Arch Angels talking about a citizen’s arrest,” said Sullivan. “We don’t need untrained people who we have no idea what their background is or what their true motivations are, patrol- ling our subway system. God forbid they follow through on their talk of the citizen’s arrest. We don’t want that. It could be very problematic,” Sullivan said. But Green disagrees. “We are the eyes and ears for the police,” he said. Another way to describe the group would be “people wearing funny hats playing hall monitor.” Fashion challenged attention-seeker Curtis Silwa admitted that six of his group’s crime-fighting exploits were actually faked and former associates contend that even more of the group’s activities were publicity stunts. Tattoos and troopers Tattoos and troopers For more information, or to order online visit www.CHICAGOSTREETCOP.com Amazon.com • BarnesAndNoble.com In Honor Of Kendall McCarthy: A PORTION OF EACH BOOK SALE WILL BE DONATED TO AUTISM SPEAKS “He writes in such a manner that you feellike you are on one "ride-along" after another…”~James Reiter “Outstanding, hard to put down! McCarthy does a fantastic job of making you feel like part of the team; grittyand tense...” ~Ron Shore “This book is a page turner. I finished it faster than I expected”~Amazon Customer “Workedwith himand every word is true.”~Tom Finnelly “I could feel everyemotion Pat was experiencing and at times had to hold my breathuntil I got to the end of the paragraph.”~Amazon Customer “One of the best big city cop books out there!”~Stephanie McIIquham “Grittywith no filter added, a must readfor anyone interested in true stories from the mean streets of Chicago.” ~Frank Goff “Pat capturesthe heartof Chicago in Chicago Street Cop.” ~Jim Belushi